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WASHINGTON — President Trump signaled Friday that his new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is likely to leave her post following a devastating series of media appearances and questions about her legal background.
“Katie’s been treated very badly by the media. Very, very badly, very unfairly, I think. And I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’ Because, you know, she’s been treated very rough. And she’s a nice person,” Trump told reporters.
“I’ve watched her for years on television, but I said, ‘Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this.'”
Zacharia started on Monday, and she will now be “transitioning out” of her role, per Fox News.
Trump noted that Fox News host Sean Hannity “was a little bit tough” on her Thursday night and that “Fox & Friends” hosts “were a little tough” Friday morning — following a nervous 14-minute initial press briefing on Tuesday.
“She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily,” Trump said as he departed for a campaign appearance in Georgia.
“I said to Katie two minutes ago, I said, ‘Katie, you know, you don’t need to do this if you don’t want.’ She said, ‘This is a lot tougher.’ I said, ‘Welcome to the world of Trump.'”
Asked if he would keep Zacharia in her role, Trump said, “I don’t know, we’ll see. I’m going to let her make that decision.”
But he gave a clear indication the decision was effectively made.
“When I get back, we’re going to talk. Because I don’t think that Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press. So I will talk to her as soon as I get back,” he told another reporter.
Trump said he intends to keep Zacharia in his administration “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”
“A lot of people want the job. I bet you’d want it if I offered it to her,” Trump added.
“I just think the press has been very tough on Katie, and I said, ‘There’s no reason for you to have to do this. You’ve got a beautiful family, a fantastic husband and kids.'”